1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to methods and devices for reducing or preventing bedsores in long-term care patients and, more particularly, to a bedsore reduction system for beds which includes a generally rectangular base plate, a generally rectangular mattress support plate, a diagonal connecting plate extending between the opposite side edges of the base plate and mattress support plate in a “Z” shape, upper and lower inflatable wedge-shaped air chambers positioned between the mattress support plate, the diagonal connecting plate and the base plate, and a controllable inflation device operatively connected to the upper and lower wedge-shaped air chambers for inflating and deflating the air chambers such that the diagonal connecting plate is pivotable relative to the base plate and the mattress support plate is pivotable relative to the diagonal connecting plate for adjusting the yaw orientation relative to horizontal of the mattress support plate and a mattress supported thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bedsores, unfortunately, are a common problem encountered by long-term medical care patients. Bedsores, also known as decubitus or pressure ulcers, are generally caused by consistent pressure being applied to specific points on the body such as would be caused by the weight of the patient laying on the bed. When a patient is generally immobile for an extended period of time, what occurs is that the constant pressure against the skin causes the blood vessels in the area to close, thus depriving the skin of nourishment and oxygen. When this occurs over an extended period of time, the tissue dies and the bedsore forms.
Although bedsores form in many location on the body, the areas that are most likely to be bedsore-prone are the spine, the coccyx, the hips, buttocks, heels and elbows, and for completely immobile patients, the scalp at the back of the head is also at risk. However, the most common situation which causes the production of bedsores is when a patient is unable to redistribute their body weight on a regular and consistent basis. In fact, bedsores can begin to form in as little as two hours of immobility, which is why it is preferred that the patient be repositioned every two hours or so. Of course, this presents another significant problem in the care of the bed-bound patient in that these persons require assistance in repositioning themselves which generally requires a medical care provider to attend to the patient every two hours. This can force the medical care provider to curtail other important tasks in order to perform the repositioning, and therefore the efficiency of the medical care provider is greatly reduced. There is therefore a need for a bedsore reduction system which is capable of functioning without constant supervision yet which will assist in the repositioning of the individual to reduce the probability of production of bedsores.
Several examples are found in the prior art which attempt to address and solve this problem, including such devices as those disclosed in Seiler, U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,500, and Thomas et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,999. The Seiler invention, in particular, is intended to prevent or cure bedsores and includes a specially designed therapeutic mattress which includes a plurality of air-cushion groups which act to adjust the position of the patient laying on the highly modified therapeutic mattress. The significant disadvantages of the Seiler invention, however, are that implementation of the Seiler device throughout a hospital or other care facility would require replacing each and every one of the mattresses found throughout the hospital at significant cost to the hospital and further the design of the Seiler device provides only limited adjustment for prevention of bedsores. There is therefore a need for a significantly improved bedsore reduction system which may be used with a standard mattress and which may be retrofitted onto already purchased bedding units currently found in extended care facilities and hospitals.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved bedsore reduction system for beds.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bedsore reduction system for beds which includes a generally rectangular base plate, a generally rectangular mattress support plate positioned initially parallel with and above the base plate, a diagonal connecting plate extending between the base plate and mattress support plate at opposite sides thereof in a Z-cross-sectional shape and hingedly connected thereto, upper and lower inflatable wedge-shaped air chambers positioned between each of the three plates, and a controllable inflation device operatively connected to the air chambers for alternatively inflating or deflating the air chambers to adjust the yaw orientation relative to horizontal of a mattress supported on the mattress support plate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bedsore reduction system for beds which also includes an inflatable head and shoulder unit positioned atop the mattress support plate for adjusting the position of the head and shoulders upwards and downwards relative to the mattress support plate thereby further facilitating reduction of bedsores by adjusting the pressure points of the back, shoulder area, neck and head.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a programmable timer and/or computerized control device in control connection with the inflation control device in order to slowly adjust the positioning of the mattress support plate and hence the mattress positioned thereon to address individually the bedsore reduction needs of the person bed-bound in the particular bed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bedsore reduction system for beds which is usable with already existing mattresses and mattress supports merely by resting between the mattress and bed springs or by replacing the bed springs of the original bed structure with the bedsore reduction system of the present invention.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved bedsore reduction system for beds which is relatively simple in design and construction and which is safe, efficient and effective in use.